Yet Another Obamacare Schadenfreude Post

Republican lawmakers aired sharp concerns about their party’s quick push to repeal the Affordable Care Act at a closed-door meeting Thursday, according to a recording of the session obtained by The Washington Post.

The recording reveals a GOP that appears to be filled with doubts about how to make good on a long-standing promise to get rid of Obamacare without explicit guidance from President Trump or his administration. The thorny issues with which lawmakers grapple on the tape — including who may end up either losing coverage or paying more under a revamped system — highlight the financial and political challenges that flow from upending the current law.

What, you mean it's not easy sorting out the mess the Democrats made? Whodda thunk?

"For goodness sake, we should be able to put something on President Trump's desk that's at least as good as what we put on President Obama's desk. Not something watered down," Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, told CNN in an interview. "Let's repeal it. Let's do what the voters sent us here to do."

Which brings us back to that brainless Vox headline and the amount of coverage this audio has received. The diversity of views among Republicans as revealed by the recording has been represented in the media as a serious problem for the Republican Party. But intellectual diversity, including the hare-brained notions held by some RINOs, is healthy. The Democrats and their media toadies think alike, talk alike, and cling to the same fantasies. That has made them what they are today — losers who no longer enjoy the public’s trust.

“Here’s the context, remember the American people were lied to about this law,” Jordan said.

“Everything they were told about this law turned out to be false,” he said. “I call it the Nine Lies: Like your doctor? Keep your doctor. Like your plan? Keep your plan. Premiums will decline an average of $2,500. The website will work. The website is secure. Emergency room visits will decline–they haven’t. They went up, and they said these 23 co-ops they created were going to be wonderful–18 of them already went bankrupt.”

Any market-based replacement for the ACA should include four key elements to move us toward universal coverage.

First, it should expand access to consumer-directed coverage arrangements such as health savings accounts coupled with high-deductible insurance plans. These products not only help reduce costs but also give consumers greater control over their own care. Such increased control incentivizes individuals to do what consumers do best: make value-based decisions that collectively drive down costs and improve quality.

Second, assistance should go to those who need it but be tailored to their individual situations. Low-income Americans should have access to a more innovative and modern Medicaid program, while the working poor should have access to a tax subsidy to help them afford private plans.

Third, those with preexisting conditions should have access to mechanisms, such as properly funded high-risk pools, to help them both acquire and afford coverage.

Finally, the federal government should allow for alternative pathways to private, tax-preferred coverage, by allowing health plans to be sold across state lines, as well as by giving unions, churches and other civic organizations the opportunity to offer coverage to members.

A total of 9.2 million Americans signed up for plans sold on HealthCare.gov, which serves 39 states, by the close of open enrollment on Tuesday, officials said.

That's about 400,000 people fewer than had signed up last year. Advocates said the lower tally reflects efforts by the Trump administration to "sabotage" enrollment by pulling back ads and outreach for HealthCare.gov as of last week.

But would it be worse to sign them up and then change it all around. Liberals believe there's a magic ratchet that should hold everything they achieve forever.